


There's an Ordinary World, Somehow I Have to Find

by TardisTexan



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Ordinary Pond Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-19
Updated: 2014-01-24
Packaged: 2018-01-09 07:36:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1143285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TardisTexan/pseuds/TardisTexan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens when River is pardoned and released from Stormcage, and the Doctor is not there to pick her up?  Her parents give her a bit of ordinary life.  When will the Doctor come for them and what will happen when he does?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

River followed the guard to the Warden's office. She kept her head down and her eyes lowered. She had a feeling that she knew what this meeting was about. She had challenged her conviction. It was a crazy chance, but somehow the Doctor wasn't listed in the justice system database anymore. She was listed as convicted of murder, but all references to the man she killed were missing. She started petitioning anyone she could find for release. She had been patient and kept filing motion after motion, hoping that someone would finally listen to her. But she could be so hated that they would just ignore her for several more years and she was shaking with fear. 

The guard let her in and warden gestured to a chair. River sat. She couldn't muster any of the bravado she usually had when she was brought to this office and so she sat quietly until he addressed her. The Warden looked at her seriously, "Doctor Song, I just got the call. I don't know how you did it, but you have been pardoned." 

River gasped. She had hoped, but she could scarcely believe it. He handed her the official document and she took it with trembling hands. She read the words and then looked at the warden expectantly. "When can I leave?"

"You have been nothing but a problem for me from the second you walked in to my prison. You can leave now, and please go as fast as you can. The guard will take you back to your cell to collect your things." The Warden waived his hand and she quickly got up.

When River got back to her cell, she took out the small piece of psychic paper and scribbled a note to the Doctor - _Pardoned! Will you pick me up?_ and she gave him the coordinates. She threw everything she had into her trunk (bigger on the inside) and the guard helped her carry it to the front office. The front office was as grey and dismal as her cell had been, but she was so close to being gone that she barely noticed. The secretary asked if she wanted to use the phone to call someone to pick her up. She didn't see the Doctor in the waiting area so she called the TARDIS. There was no answer. She went outside and looked around, but he wasn't there either. Well, the Doctor was always late wasn't he? 

River was not going to be in prison one minute more than she needed to be. It didn't take long for her to sign the final paperwork and then she was free to leave. There was a hotel nearby and the shuttle ran hourly, so River left and went to the hotel. It was built for visitors to use, but the kind of prisoners held in Stormcage rarely got visitors. So it was mostly used for lawyers and the family of guards who came to visit their loved ones during their months long shifts. 

Stormcage was situated in a very desolate area of the planet Kia 10. The area was pretty much uninhabitable. High mountains surrounded a rocky valley and due to the odd weather patterns of the planet, a perpetual hurricane was centered directly over the valley. There were only two cities on Kia 10, and both were rather far away and poor. The highest paid workers on the planet were the guards and officers of Stormcage, but they didn't really make much in way of salary by 51st Century standards, and the life of a guard was difficult. Because the prison was so far from the cities, the guards would live at the prision for 3 month stretches. The guard residences were better than the prisoner's cells, but not by much apparently. The prison was grey and dismal and the perpetual storm outside made everyone irritable. On the whole, life at Stormcage for both the prisoners and the guards was not pleasant. 

River had made many enemies of the guards and the Warden while she was in Stormcage, but she had also made some very close allies. There were a few guards that liked her, and she had developed close bonds with them. They had helped watch over her and helped her with small favors, like the camera trained on her cell blacking out when the sound of the TARDIS echoed along the halls. She rewarded them well with money, but she also always remembered to bring them small treats from all over time and space when she could. Two in particular had become very close friends and she almost cried in relief to see one of them in the hotel lobby. Johan Crink was saying goodbye to his wife. He kissed her and waved as she boarded the transport back to the city.

Johan was an older man, his hair almost completely grey and his mid section a little paunchy. He had been a guard at Stormcage for 35 years, and knew all of the best stories. He was quick witted and very very clever. His cleverness had drawn River to him as he was so much more interesting to talk to than the general meathead guard she usually encountered. Johan had become like a father to her. She was around him more than her actual father, and loved him dearly. She would miss him.

Johan turned, saw River, and his jaw dropped. This was no ordinary escape. "Doctor Song!" 

"Oh Johan, I'm so happy to see you. The day finally came! I got a pardon!"

"So you are free? Not that the prison kept you for long, but I'm so happy that you are finally free to leave with your husband and never come back to that horrid place. Where is he?"

River's face fell before she could think to hide it. Johan was angry on her behalf. He had seen Doctor Song happier than any woman in the galaxy, but he had also seen her dark with despair. All because of a husband who didn't even care enough to pick her up from her last day in prison.

River could see the man was angry. "Oh no, don't be angry with him. It was a surprise to me too that it actually happened. He's probably just still trying to get here. So, I thought I would get a room. He'll probably be here before check out time tomorrow. 

Would you help me carry my trunk up?"

Johan was happy to help her. When he had made sure she was all settled into a room, he kissed her on both cheeks and took her hands. 

"Are you sure you are okay here by yourself?"

"Yes. It will be lovely to be in a warm bed after a warm bath." River's eyes filled with tears. "I'll never forget you, Johan," River said and hugged him. "Thank you for for being my friend. And I'll be sure to write and continue to send you those little chocolates you love from Earth." 

"No," Johan shook his head. "Go. Be happy, Doctor Song. Forget about this terrible place and forget about me. Put these dark days behind you and live in the light."

As soon as he left, River tried to call the Doctor again. No answer. She sent him another message on the psychic paper letting him know where she was. She wasn't worried yet. He was always late and he would be here. She had room service delivered to her including a whole bottle of champagne. She took a warm bath, and then she laid down in the soft bed. The hotel had a bit of soundproofing so the sounds of the storm outside were muffled. It was quiet, and with the champagne and bath, River fell asleep quickly.

That night River had a nightmare, the first she had had in a long while. She was in her room at the orphanage screaming for the Doctor. Madame Kovorian would hit her and say "The Doctor is a murderer. He is evil. You hate him." River would scream and cry "No!" over and over.  
"He is evil!"  
"No!"

River sat up in bed screaming, reaching for the Doctor. But he wasn't there. 

The next morning, the Doctor still wasn't there, and he was still not answering his phone. River was upset. She didn't know if she was worried, angry, sad, or hurt. Maybe she was all of them. She ate her breakfast and thought about next steps. She had enough money to take her anywhere she wanted to go. The Doctor was never very good at remembering to take care of the practical details of life, but in River's case he had come through. After Berlin, Amy and Rory were desperate to do something, so the Doctor had taken them to 1972 Switzerland and they had opened a numbered Swiss bank account for River. By the time she was ready to attend college some 3000 years later, there had been more than enough to cover any expense she could ever have.

As River dressed, she looked over the items in her trunk. Each one held a memory. There were clothes she had worn for this adventure or that, gifts that the Doctor had given her over the years, a nice arsenal of weaponry, photos, books, and folders full of notes she had made for future books. River took out her vortex manipulator and placed her diary in a bag with some clothes and a gun. 

River made arrangements with the front desk to store her trunk until she could retrieve it. She said a quick prayer that Amy and Rory would not be off with the Doctor when she got there, and with a flash, she was gone from Kia 10.


	2. Chapter 2

It was winter on Earth and everything was cold and wet. Amy answered the knock at the front door and cried out when she saw her daughter. She pulled her into a big hug and danced from side to side with her daughter in her arms. When she finally let her go, she took a second to look at River and knew something was wrong. Amy let her in the house and sat down with her. "What is it? What's  
wrong?"

River broke down in tears and sobbed in Amy's arms. Amy held her, and rocked her, and murmurred to her until River couldn't cry any more. Then, River told her the story. She told her how happy she had been at her pardon. She explained to Amy how she thought it happened, but she couldn't be sure until she had spoken to the Doctor. 

River's eyes dropped to the floor. "I asked him to come pick me up, but he didn't. He has always been there to catch me, every time I asked. And then on the day I'm released from prison, he isn't there. I don't understand it."

"Do you think something has happened to him?" Amy asked worriedly.

"No," River shook her head. "If something had happened that he couldn't get out of the TARDIS would have let me know."

Amy looked at her and smoothed her hair with her hand. "I'm so sorry he wasn't there River. And I'm sorry I wasn't there."

"I got used to him. I would see him so often in prison. The longest stretch that I didn't see him was only a couple of weeks up until now. I haven't seen him since we spent Christmas here. He didn't pick me up. This is the first time he didn't come when I called. Do you think....?" River trailed off.

"Stop right there," Amy said sharply. "That man loves you. And he always comes back. Sometimes he doesn't show up for 12 years like the imbecile he is, but he always comes back."

River looked at her mother. "Amy, do you think I could stay here a while, just until I figure out what I'm going to do now?"

Amy smiled brightly. "Of course you can! My baby girl will be home! Let's go call Rory."

Amy and River spent the rest of the day shopping. They bought River as many new clothes as they could carry. They bought underwear, pajamas, lounging clothes, every day clothes, and going out to dinner clothes. They came home exhausted and found that Rory had brought home dinner. As soon as he saw her, Rory took River in his arms and wouldn't let go of her. He hugged her until she forced him to let her go with pleas of starvation.

They ate dinner around the kitchen table and afterward River said she wanted to go to bed as it had been a long day. Amy came up a little later and found River in her new pajamas, sitting in bed, writing in her diary. Amy sat down on the bed and said, "I'm glad you came to us. We are your family. You stay here for as long as you want, okay?" 

River nodded and hugged her close. "Thank you, Mum."

Before turning out the light, River checked the psychic paper one more time. It was still blank.

That night, she had another nightmare. She must have been screaming in her sleep because Amy and Rory were both sitting on the bed with worried expressions when Rory shook her awake. They put their arms around her and Amy crawled into bed with her and stayed until she went back to sleep.

 

The first morning in her parent's house, River woke up and looked around the guest room. This was the room that both her and the Doctor used when they stayed with the Ponds. She could see little touches of the Doctor here and there. Sometimes they had been there together, sometimes alone, but it was _their_ room. On the desk, there was something that was either being taken apart or put together, she wasn't sure. On the bookshelf there were books of archeology, books of fairy tales, several books of star maps from different galaxies, novels, a couple of books of art and River's old text books from her college days, none of which belonged on 21st Century Earth. On top of the bookshelf was a row of framed photos. There was one of the four them from the wedding they had had in the Pond's backyard. It matched the one she had in her bedroom on the TARDIS. There was one of Amy and Rory, dancing at their own wedding. River loved that photo dearly. Not only were her parents happy and in love in each others arms, but you could see the Doctor in the background laughing, surrounded by a group of children. There was one of the TARDIS, parked on a street corner in foggy London. River had taken that one during one of their trips back to see Rory and Amy. And the last photo was of the Doctor and River, smiling and looking into each others eyes, lost to the world around them. She didn't even know when Amy had taken it, and she didn't ask. It was somewhere outside and sunny, and it made River happy to think it could be any time, any place that they were together. 

River sighed and realized she was happy to be here. She could hear her parents downstairs. Rory would be getting ready to go to work at the hospital and Amy would be making him breakfast. They were living their life and so would she. The Doctor had told her, promised her, that she would continue to see older him as well as seeing younger him. She had to have faith in that. She walked over and picked up the picture of the two of them, running her fingers across his face. There was no one that River trusted more than the Doctor and she wasn't going to lose that faith now.

That night at dinner, Rory looked at River and said, "River, we were wondering, how long are you going to be staying?" River's face fell. "Well, I can go any day.."

"No, No, that's not what I meant," Rory grabbed her hand. "Let me start over. We were wondering what we should tell people, what we should tell our family. We want you here for a long time, and we'd like to tell your grandparents who you are, but it's totally your decision. We won't tell anyone unless you want us to."

"Grandparents?" River said slowly. 

Rory continued, "Everyone saw the Doctor materialize in the middle of our wedding. Some took it better than others. My dad has been great, and knows about us traveling with the Doctor. It will still be a shock, but he should be able to take this pretty well."

"My parents too," Amy said. "They won't be as easy going about it as Brian, but they will take it in stride. And we know that all of them will love you. What do you think?"

River nodded. She knew her grandparents of course from her Mels days, but to be with them when they knew who she was? It was wonderful 

and scary all at the same time. "Ok, let's tell them. But I think we should leave out the part that I'm Mels, at least for now. That might be a bit much. We can tell them why I didn't grow up with you, and how things changed when you and the Doctor found me, but I'd rather not tell them that I lied to them for years. Is that okay?" Her parents smiled and nodded at her and they decided to have the grandparents over for dinner in a few days. 

At first, they introduced River as someone who also traveled with the Doctor. Over dinner she told them some of her stories about travels with the Doctor and some of her favorite dig stories. By the end of dinner, they were charmed by her. That's when Rory and Amy sat them on the couch and told them the truth. River was Amy and Rory's daughter and their granddaughter. They explained why she had been taken away from them and how she had been raised. River told them how the Doctor had found her and how he had changed everything. She told them how they were meeting wrong, but that she was his wife and that she was going to stay with Rory and Amy for a little while and she hoped that she could spend part of the time getting to know them. They left out the most unpleasant details like Mels, Lake Silencio, and Stormcage. 

After they finished talking, Brian stood up and put his arms around River. "I couldn't ask for a more beautiful granddaughter. I'm very happy you are going to be here with us for a while." Amy's mother hugged her and asked when she would come over for tea. All in all, it seemed like they were happy to have her and River was touched.

After everyone had left, River hugged Amy and Rory and simply said, "Thank you." 

 

\-----------

Days turned into weeks. River had several more nightmares the first week, but they had tapered off and Amy and Rory were relieved that they seemed to be gone. Amy's days were busy doing this and that. She wrote articles for magazines and took pictures at weddings. River was writing, compiling all her notes from her travels and planning future digs. She now had grandparents, and her weeks were filled with visits, lunches, and teas. But River's best days were always the days she went to the hospital and had lunch with Rory. 

She knew that this time with her parents was precious, but there was something special about the times when it was just her and Rory. When the days grew warmer, they would walk in the park near the hospital where he worked and he would tell her stories. He had a lot of stories from the two thousand years he guarded the Pandorica. He didn't always remember them clearly, but he remembered more than she expected. River would always run home and and type them up on her laptop, wanting to capture every word. 

River's life was full. She had a family, she was working on her books, and her days were happy. Something big was missing of course, but she vowed to continue on and find normal life again. Brian loved coming over and spending time with her and she eventually told him everything. She told him in pieces, little bits at a time, until he knew as much about her as Amy and Rory did. It felt so good to  
have a real family. People who knew her totally, but still loved her anyway. She never thought she could have that. 

After several weeks, even though she was happy, River felt the need to begin traveling. She wanted to give Amy and Rory time alone, but she also was feeling the need to get out and run. When she told that she was going to make her first trip, Amy and Rory understood and simply told her, "Please be careful and come home soon."


	3. Chapter 3

Spring

Space Station 127 was a hub. Travelers could catch a transport there to almost anywhere in the galaxy they wanted to go. It was a dock for several space cruise companies, transport companies, and goods and services were bought and sold on a regular basis. River thought that would be a fine place to start a little weekend adventure. You never knew who you would run in to there. 

River pinned her hair up, letting just a few curls loose around her face. She pulled out her battle armor, a long black slinky dress and her red high heeled shoes, and got dressed. She spritzed on some of her favorite perfume, strapped on her vortex manipulator, and was off.

River was sitting in a bar on one of the lower levels of SS127 when a very classically tall dark handsome man in a long coat sat down next to her and ordered a drink. "Hello, Gorgeous," he said turning to her. 

"Hello, Captain." River hugged him and kissed his cheek. River had met Jack shortly after getting her vortex manipulator. They seemed to seek out the same problems, the same sort of fun, and had never failed to get in to trouble every time they met. He had desperately tried to woo her, but when she told him she was "with the Doctor" he sadly gave up his fight. Luckily for her, she hadn't met a version of him that didn't know about her and the Doctor. At least not yet. And maybe that wasn't so lucky after all, she could use some good wooing right about now.

"So what brings you here, Doctor Song? This isn't the type of place for a lady to be alone. Especially one dressed like that." he said, taking a drink from the glass the bartender had put in front of him. 

"Have I ever been the type of woman to shy away from places that ladies don't go in alone?" River winked at him.

Jack smiled and laughed, "No, no you haven't. And please don't ever start."

"Don't you worry your pretty little head about that. What are you doing here, Darling? Please tell me you have something delicious for us to sink our teeth into." 

Jack was getting aroused. He always got aroused when she used that voice on him. He knew that she would never be unfaithful to the Doctor, and he had given up years ago trying to get her into bed, but she was so damn sexy. And why did she have to wear dresses that were cut down to there? Maybe after they fixed the Julsaen issue, he would try again. "As a matter of fact I do," he said.

"Go on, Darling. Tell me all about it." River said.

"You and I are both good at, let's say, retrieving things. Sometimes precious items fall hands that have less than savory motives. Those hands would use those items to do things that are in their own best interest instead of the best interest of whole planets full of innocent people."

"And you are aware of such an item now?"

"Yes. In fact, we don't have to go very far. A very nasty Julsaen has been selling Sun Bombs and he's due to arrive at SS127 in a few hours. Do you know what a Sun Bomb is?"

River was startled. "Sun Bombs were outlawed by the Shadow Proclamation. Not only did they destroy all of them, but they killed everyone with knowledge of how to make them. No one should have them."

"Exactly, but this Julsaen has them. And I'm fairly certain that he's planning on selling them to someone with a very unsavory motive."

"I'm in. Tell me what you know."

"The name of this Julsaen is Thuim. He's a nasty piece of work and every time he comes to SS127 he expects to be treated like a king. From what I hear, he gets a suite at the best hotel and has booze and prostitutes brought in all night for him and his entourage. I figure if we can slip in to this all night party and gather some intel on where the deal is going to go down. We turn over the information to the Shadow Proclamation and both bad guys get what's coming to them.

"Good thing I brought my hallucinogenic lipstick," River said, patting her bag beside her.

\----

River told Amy and Rory about Jack and the Julsaen when she got home. She was animated and excitedly told them about how she and Jack had hid waiting for the sale to happen, then chased the Julsean henchmen when they scattered as the agents from the Shadow Proclamation rushed in to arrest everyone. 

Later on, Amy and Rory were in bed and Amy said, "She gets that from me."

"No way, she totally gets it from me," Rory scoffed. They looked at each other and laughed. Rory grabbed Amy's hand and said quietly, "Amy we made that. We made her. She is smart, and beautiful, and just amazing. And we made her."

"Well, us and the Time Vortex, and the Silence, and...."

"Amy. Let me have this."

Amy kissed him and said, "Yeah, she is ours. But she totally gets it from me."


	4. Chapter 4

One ordinary day, Amy and River sat having lunch in a pub and Amy told River about not being able to have kids because of Kovarian. They cried in each others arms and comforted each other. They talked long into the afternoon about if they were better or worse off because of traveling with the Doctor. They ended without a resolution, but they both knew that they loved him and loved each other and for now, that was enough. 

Shortly after dinner that night, River retreated to her room. Amy and Rory were used to this. At first, it had worried Amy, but after listening by the door a few times, Amy had figured it out. River went there to talk to the Doctor. She looked at his pictures and told him what was going on in her life. She would write in her diary of course, but sometimes she just needed to talk to the Doctor. She told him about the book she was writing about the Last Centurion, scolded him about Jack, and about how amazing Amy was. 

That evening, River told the Doctor's picture all about Amy and Rory and how sad she was for Amy. She was so angry about what Kovarian had done. Yes, that damn woman's actions had been directed at the Doctor, but the Doctor hadn't been the one who had suffered, had he? Amy and Rory and River had. River could release her anger here, to his picture. She could tell him all the things she would never tell the actual Doctor to his face. Because of course it wasn't really his fault. Their pain was caused by a radical, mad, evil woman, not the Doctor.

River laid down on the bed and thought about the Doctor. She thought about him a lot, but she rarely let her self just sit and think about him. She thought that pining over him was ridiculous and pathetic, but sometimes she needed to let herself be pathetic. She missed her husband. The way was looking at her in the photograph on the bookcase reminded her of the looks he sometimes gave her while they were curled up in their bed. She cried into the pillow, letting herself miss him. She would scold herself later for getting too attached to him. She had always known it would be this way, but that didn't stop her missing him. "Come back soon, Doctor," she whispered into the darkness.

\-------

The next day, River and Amy sat having coffee after breakfast. "Amy, do you want to do something dangerous today?"

"How Dangerous?"

"Very. But I think payoff will be huge. There is something I want to show you. I have been doing some scouting and I think I know exactly how to do it. Dress all in black, and I'll get the vortex manipulator."

River and Amy appeared in a crackle of static in a hallway. River immediately pushed her into a nearby room and shut the door. 

"Where are we?" Amy whispered. 

"Command ship of the 12th Cyber Legion. We are going to see the Last Centurion in action." River smiled at Amy when her eyes went wide. "From what Rory has told us, we have to get to a place where we can see the viewing platform on the command deck. I think I have figured out where it happens and obviously we know the day. I just don't know the time. So we may have to wait a while."

"Wait a while? I assume you mean hide for a while? On a ship full of Cybermen? When we could be captured at any moment and turned into robots?" Amy asked.

River nodded. 

"Totally worth it," Amy said smiling. "Let's go."

 

That night when Rory got home, Amy attacked him at the door. She threw her arms around him and pushed him into the hall wall, kissing him like she hadn't seen him in years. "Bedroom, now" she growled and Rory didn't hesitate. Up the stairs they went and River went out the front door, laughing.


	5. Chapter 5

Summer

Amy and Rory were talking one night while River was seeing a movie with Brian. "River's birthday is next week," Amy said. "What should we do?"

"What kind of gift do you give River Song, a woman who can travel in all of time in space? I know we can't give her the one thing she wants. He always takes her away on her birthday. Do you think he will show up?" Rory asked.

"No, I don't. He knows she's not in Stormcage. I assume he thinks he'll go back in time and pick her up and take care of all of this. He won't come. So we have to do something amazing."

"Like what? What can we do for someone like her? What can we give her? It was a little easier when she was in university."

"Home," Amy said. "That's the only thing we can offer her. Home and a family."

Amy and Rory decided to have a party. Amy had told her extended family and friends that River was a good friend she had met while modeling and she was staying with them because she was separating from her husband. Everyone was happy to come and help Amy's friend celebrate her birthday. There was drinking and dancing and everyone had fun. River had kept her eyes open for a certain man in a bow tie, but she had a great time and really enjoyed her party.

After everyone had gone home, Rory brought out a cake. It was a little girl's cake with pink frosting and a doll stuck in the middle so that the cake looked like her skirt. River thought it was sweet that her daddy would want to try to make up for the little girl's birthday parties they had missed and she kissed him and hugged him tight. 

They gave River their gifts. Rory gave River a toy blue police box he had found in a vintage store. He told her it was for her to keep on her desk. He had cleaned up the paint so that it was a brilliant TARDIS blue, and he had put a small light inside, so it would light up. Amy gave her an album of photos. The very first page was a picture of the three of them together. The rest of the pages were filled with various shots of River with her family - the Ponds and the Williams. The last page was a picture of Brian with his arms around River. The last gift was a locket. One side had a small picture like the one in the album, of all three of them. The other was a picture of their blue front door. 

The Doctor had always given River amazing birthdays, and she was sad that he hadn't come, but she thought this night had been her favorite birthday ever.. 

\--------------

River was still taking regular trips. Sometimes she met up with Jack and took down bad guys, or explored places she had always wanted to go, but as time went on she spent a lot more of her time doing something very boring - interviewing. It was time to move on with her life, time to find a job and a new place in the universe.

Amy and River were sitting in the back garden sipping wine. The light was fading and lights were started to blink on in the neighborhood. River knew her mother would not want to hear the news she had to give her, but she would help Amy understand. "Dad, can you come out here please?" River asked when she saw him moving around in the kitchen.

Rory came out and sat with them. "What's up?" he asked.

River looked at both of them and said, "I've accepted a job."

"That's great, River. What is it?" Rory asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"I'm going to teach archeology at a university. With my Doctorate and all of my dig experience, they felt I met their qualifications."

Amy looked thoughtful for a moment. "River, are you becoming a professor because the Doctor told you that you would become a professor or because you want to?"

River smiled at Amy. "Clever girl. But yes, I actually want to. I have several works that I want to publish, and being associated with a university will make a difference. I will have enough free to time to go on digs while school is not in session. And since the hours are rather flexible, I can go on adventures with you and the Doctor, or take the odd job here and there. Expeditions to places that have been abandoned or lost often hire archeologists to accompany them as they have knowledge of lost civilizations. I need to be associated with a university to build my name and reputation. It will allow me to lead the life I want to lead."

Rory smiled at her, fatherly pride showing on his face. "That sounds amazing. Which university?" 

"Luna University."

Amy blinked. "Luna? As in 51st Century Luna University?"

River nodded. "Amy, I love you and I love being here with you, but I can't teach here. My training and experience is based on 51st Century knowledge. Putting me in a classroom 3000 years too early would be disastrous. And, there aren't too many expeditions to lost planets these days, are there?"

Amy was sad and threw her arms around River. "I understand, I do," she said into River's hair, "But having my daughter here has been... " Amy choked up and River ran her hands up and down Amy's back. 

When Amy sat back River took one of Amy and Rory hands in each of hers, "Mum. Dad. I want you to know that it has meant everything to be here. I intend to come back and visit, often. This place, this is my home now. Even though I had visited, I never thought I would have a home with you and Rory. And now I do." River smiled at them, "You know, I suspect it won't be much longer until you see the Doctor again. He won't stay away from his Amelia long. You can have him bring you in the TARDIS for weekends."

They talked for a while longer about River's plans. She would stay with them a little longer, until her assigned housing was ready. After a while Rory got up and pulled River into his arms and held her a long while. He kissed her on the forehand and said, "I'm so proud of you. Is that okay? Can I be a proud dad?"

"Yes," River answered with tears in her eyes, "Thank you Dad."


	6. Chapter 6

Autumn

River took Amy with her to Luna using the vortex manipulator, the two of them lugging her trunk between them. She picked up the keys to her new house at the university office and they found the sweet little cottage just a few blocks from campus. The terra dome that had been installed allowed for an atmosphere and there was lush grass and bright flowers along the front of the house. River loved it instantly. 

They spent a week on Luna choosing furniture, housewares, linens and decor. They arranged and decorated the little house together. Amy knew that River would be happy here, but she was going to miss having her daughter around. Amy knew that almost every parent had that day of taking their child to school for the first time, then taking them to university and leaving them there. Even though it wasn't the same, Amy tried to think of it that way, that she was just like every other mother who was sad her baby girl wouldn't be living at home anymore. 

When everything was done and school was about to start, River took Amy home. She hugged Rory, grabbed her last bag of clothes, and went back to Luna. That night, the Pond women were sad, separated by 3000 years.

Six weeks and two visits home later, there was a knock on the blue Pond door. Amy opened the door and the Doctor was standing on her porch. He gleefully shouted "Amy!" and hugged her. She hugged him back and let him in the house, giving him tea in the kitchen. "Amy, River is getting out of prison. She's been pardoned! Isn't that wonderful news? I thought she would like it if you and Rory came along when I went to pick her up. I know she would be happy to see you."

Amy stared at the Doctor, her eyes wide. She couldn't believe this. 

"Amy, what's wrong?" the Doctor looked at her with concerned eyes. "Why aren't you excited? What is going on?"

"Doctor, River got out of prison 7 months ago."

The Doctor's face went blank. He very quickly figured out how Amy knew. The Doctor lowered his voice, "Is she here now?"

"No, she isn't. And you should be glad that Rory isn't here either or he probably would have run you through with his sword. Coming in here saying that after all we have been through with her. I'm still considering it myself. So tell me, did you get River's message and ignore it? Oh, I already know, you were having too much fun chasing something and decided that your wife could wait until you were done. You have a time machine so what did it matter if you made her wait a little while, yeah?"

The Doctor looked guilty for about a second, then started defending himself. "But Amy, it was a Sederak! It was terrorizing the people of this village deep in a forest..."

"Stop right there, mister." Amy cut him off. "Your wife was in prison for years all to help you keep your secret, right? She suffered having to kill you and then suffered Stormcage. And she did it why? Because she loves you. And when she finally gets released and asks you to come and get her, you couldn't even be bothered to come until 7 months later?" Amy's voice had risen and she was yelling at  
him. "Seven months, Doctor!"

The Doctor didn't tell her that it hadn't actually been than seven months, it had been much longer. And River would have had to guess at a time to come here, so the length of time it had been for him was irrelevant. But it didn't really matter, did it? He felt terrible. 

River had been here with them for seven months, all of them assuming that had made a choice to ignore River's pardon, which in a way he did. He sighed and closed his eyes, burying his face in his hands. The wrath of Amy was terrible to bear, but knowing he had hurt River was worse.

He folded his hands together on the table, but he couldn't look at Amy. "So she came here?"

"Yes, she did."

"Tell me." 

Amy told him that when he didn't pick her up, River came to them and they welcomed her with open arms. "And let me tell you something, Doctor, don't you dare think about going back and changing this. Don't you dare go pick her up now. My baby was taken away from me because of you. I can't get that back, I can't ever get that back, but I have had a very special year. Rory and I gave her a happy, loving home the time she was here, something she never had before. And you will not take that away from me, or from her. You got that?" Amy was crying. "Promise me, Doctor. Promise me."

"I promise, Amy." River would have never allowed it anyway. Her wrath would have been worse than anything he can imagine. "You said, 'when she was here'. She's gone now? Tell me Amy, tell me where to find her."

Amy leveled her eyes at him. She considered not telling him, make him figure it out himself. But River was her daughter, and she knew that helping him would make River happy sooner. "She's a professor now, at Luna University. Her first term teaching is Fall 5185. Her little house is 3 blocks north of the university library. 525 Janssen Avenue."

Before he left, he went upstairs to their room. The scent of River enveloped him as soon as he opened the door. He noticed her jasmine soap first, but as he sat on the bed, he could smell her. River smelled like time and space and running through the vortex. He laid his head on the pillow and inhaled her scent. All of the sudden, he painfully missed her. Why had he spent so much time apart from her? He always did this, he got so caught up in what he was doing that he pushed down his desire to be with her. He hadn't forgotten her, he had thought about her every night in the forest village. But somehow he had this ability to put whatever he was doing ahead of being with her. 

He saw the photos on the bookshelf, sitting there just like they always were. That was a positive sign. She must not totally hate him or she probably would have broken every one. He picked up the last frame, the one of them looking at each other. He ran his long fingers across her face, not knowing that she had done the same thing to his face hundreds of times. 

The Doctor bounded down the stairs and quickly went up to Amy, kissing her on the cheek. "Gotta dash, Amy, I have date to get to!" he yelled as he ran out the front door. Amy shook her head, "Oh Raggedy Man, I hope you know what you are doing this time."


	7. Chapter 7

The Doctor found River's house and knocked on the door. No answer. He looked at his watch, "1:30 Earth Time. I'm a bit early, she's probably still at school. But I should make sure I'm in the right place." The Doctor pointed his sonic screwdriver at the lock on the door and heard it click. He looked around and seeing no one watching, he walked in. The living room was cozy but did not seem overly used. There were bright jewel tone pillows on the sofa and a green blanket draped over a chair. The Doctor knew that when River wasn't in Stormcage, she wanted colors around her, so this seemed to fit so far, but the room seemed a bit impersonal. He saw a kitchen toward the back of the house and a small hallway to his right. He choose the hallway and found her office first. 

Yes, here was River. He looked around the room, smiling. There were books everywhere - in the bookcase, stacked next to an armchair, on the corner of her desk, even a couple in the middle of the floor with some pens and some paper. There was a shelf on one wall containing photographs of River with several teams of people, obviously digs and expeditions she had been on, and a few artifacts from all over the galaxy. He picked up one photo in particular. River was crouched down in the dirt with a tool in her hand. Her hair was wild around her face and there was dirt on her cheek. She was smiling at the camera, but her smiled seemed to hold a secret. He wondered what she was so smug about. What was in the dirt at her feet? A message to him that he hadn't found yet maybe?

He walked over to her desk and sat down. There were papers strewn about over the top along with a modern tablet computer and a 21st Century laptop. In one corner was a picture of the two of them from one of their weddings. The Doctor was smiling at the camera with his arms around her and River had her laid her head on his shoulder. He remembered that moment. They were happy and laughing and it felt so good to just hold her and be with her. Next to the photo was a small blue police box. He picked it up and found a small switch which made it light up from the inside. The Doctor smiled in childish glee at the toy wondering where she had gotten it. He turned it off and carefully sat it back down to it's obvious place of honor. 

Next he went over to the armchair and sat down. The book on the top of the stack on the right of the chair was The History of the Axtraxians. Boring! he thought. On top of the table to the left of the chair was a small book of photos. The very first picture was of his three Ponds, Amy, Rory and River. The two parent Ponds had their arms around River and she looked so gloriously happy. When was the last time he had seen her that happy? It had to have been her last birthday, "Oh god, her birthday. I didn't pick her up for her birthday either," the Doctor moaned sadly. This was not good, not good at all. How dare you hurt that glorious creature? he angrily asked himself, but he didn't really want to deal with the answer. 

He got up and went to the next room and found it was her bedroom. When he opened the door, her scent assaulted him and a pang of longing pulled at his stomach. Her bedroom was decorated in a brilliant blue, a shade that was rather close to a certain police box parked just down the street and on her desk across the hall. On one shelf he found pictures of Amy and Rory, the Doctor and River, and even some extended Pond family. Even in this room he found books and here and there he found things he had given her over the years. He was happy to find he was a part of this room, even though he hadn't been in it yet. 

The Doctor sat on River's bed and took it all in with a wistful look on his face. This was where she lived, where she slept every night. Did she feel safe here? Was she happy? He imagined her laying in the middle of the bed in her underwear with her hair mussed from his hands being it. Damn it, why had he stayed away so long? 

He wandered to the kitchen wondering how she would react when she saw him. Was she going to be mad at him? Most certainly, but only if he hadn't been here before in her timeline. He hadn't found any evidence that he had been here before, so it's possible that he hadn't. That meant the time was now for her to take her anger out on him. He would take it, he deserved it. Heaven knows that he's taken his anger out on her enough times. He opened the refrigerator. There wasn't much there. That's what I'll do, he thought, I'll make dinner for her. She'll like that. Maybe if I make her a fabulous dinner, she won't want to shoot me straight away. The Doctor spun on his heel and clapped his hands together. "Now, what do we have to work with here?" he said, opening cabinets.

After finding not much in her pantry, the Doctor left her house and walked toward the campus. The asked the first person he saw he where he could find a market and luckily there was one close by. He bought salad fixings, a chicken, some wine and he picked up a bouquet of flowers for her. He was almost to the checkout line when he turned around and went back to the flowers and picked up two more. 

The Doctor had decided to make Coq au Vin, just like Julia had taught him. After he got the chicken on to simmer, he went looking for something to do. He went back to River's office and looked through all her books again. "Boring! Boring! Totally Wrong! Read it ten times! Boring!" he dismissed them one by one. But then he found an envelope on her desk that he had overlooked before. "Luna University Publishing" it said in the top corner. He looked inside and there was a note _Professor Song, here is the first mockup of your book with the illustrations added. Let us know what you think. Sarah_ The Doctor slid the book out of the envelope. The title made him laugh with glee.  
Tales of the Last Centurion by River Song. 

The Doctor sat down in the office's comfy chair and started to read.


	8. Chapter 8

River was walking home and as she approached her house, she knew something was wrong. Her heart started pounding when she realized there was someone in the house. She dropped her bag in the front yard and crouched down by the side of the house. She pulled out the blaster she had hidden there and crept toward the back of the house. She was running through the list of possibilities of who it could be when she caught the smell of dinner. She stopped. Intruders don't generally make dinner, she thought and lifted herself just a bit to look into the kitchen window. And most intruders don't create a huge mess in your kitchen and leave their tweed jackets hanging on the back of a chair. River slumped against the house in relief and willed her body to calm down. She hid the blaster back in its box, retrieved her bag, and went inside. 

River was very quiet opening and closing the door. Just inside the living room, she found a very large bouquet of flowers. Well, that was sweet, she thought, and intruders with bad intentions certainly don't bring flowers. She went on the hunt for him and found him exactly where she expected to.

When she appeared in the door of her office, the Doctor jumped up. "River! This is brilliant!" he said, holding up the book. "So very brilliant!" 

River smiled. He was here. _Finally, he is here._ She tried desperately not to cry, but her voice still cracked a bit, "You really think so?" 

"You have made the story of the Pandorica into a fairy tale. You wrote the fairy tale of the Pandorica! And the Last Centurion is the hero of the story, who saves the red haired princess. Oh you are so clever, Wife, so so clever." The Doctor rushed over and put his arms around her and hugged her tight and River melted into his arms. Tears were streaming from her cheeks, she was so happy to see him. She buried her face into his shoulder, hoping to hide the tears from him, but it really didn't matter. He was here, finally.

"Hi honey, I'm home," he said quietly, smiling and rocking her back and forth. River couldn't respond, she just held him tightly. He reached over and sat the book down and then his hand moved up to her neck and he tipped her head back and looked into her eyes. He saw sadness and joy and everything that was River, his beautiful wife. He dipped his head and kissed her, very softly at first. His lips brushed hers tenderly, almost questioningly and she responded immediately. He deepened the kiss and wound one hand into her hair as the other hand curled into her lower back. Their lips parted and the kiss was emotion, pure emotion. They had both missed each other, and the kiss held all of the sadness of being parted and the joy of being back together. He reached out to her with his time energy and when it met hers, he could feel both the pain and joy she was experiencing. It matched his own and their souls were one. 

When he finally withdrew from her, she looked at him, feeling what he had felt and wondering where he had been. "Where are you coming from? Should we do diaries?"

"River, let's go into the kitchen. I need to check on dinner anyway." He took her hand and led into the kitchen. 

"You have destroyed my kitchen, Doctor." River said.

"Perhaps, but look, Coq au Vin!" He said doing his best ta-da face. River sat down and tried to look unimpressed. He turned off the heat and turned back to her. She was looking at him expectantly. Of course, she isn't going to make this easy is she, he thought. He sat down next to her and took her hand. "River, how long have you been here? How long have you been teaching?"

"Two and a half months."

Thank heaven for small favors, and thank the TARDIS for not getting it off by years, he thought. "And this is the first time I've been to this house? So we haven't seen each other since Christmas, and since then you got out of prison."

River nodded. "Did Amy tell you where I was?"

"No. Yes." The Doctor squirmed a bit in his chair and ran his hand through the hair on the back of his head. He didn't want to look at her, but she sat still and patiently waited for him. 

He looked everywhere but at her. Finally he just looked down at the table. "You should be yelling at me, River. Why aren't you yelling at me?"

"Is that what you want, Doctor? For me to yell at you?" River stood up and turned her back to him. "I knew that if you had been in trouble, the TARDIS would have let me know somehow. You were away," she paused, "because you wanted to be away. I can't be angry at you for being somewhere that you wanted to be more than you wanted to be with me. That's who you are." She sighed and turned back to him, putting on her best smiling River mask. "But you are here now, so why don't we..."

"Why do you do that? Why do you try to pretend that it doesn't matter when I hurt you? Do you really think so little of me?" he asked quietly. 

"Can you blame me?" River said angrily.

"No, I don't blame you," he said taking her hand and kissing it. He pressed her had to his cheek and he looked at the floor. After a bit he stood and went into the living area and sat on the couch. He opened his arms and reached for her. River followed, calming herself down and sat in his lap. Even though she was upset with him, she still wanted to be as close to him as possible. She had missed him so much.

He pulled her close and she laid her head on his shoulder. He held her tight and ran a hand up and down her arm. "I know that I do stupid things sometimes like chase a Sederak instead of picking up my wife on the day she gets out of prison. And River, that was a mistake. I shouldn't have stayed there. Yes I was having fun, but that doesn't mean I wanted to be there more than I wanted to be with you. I just got caught up..."

"I know, Sweetie," River said. And she did know. She knew him better than anyone else did, and she understood how childlike he could be, getting caught up in a moment and putting everything to the side. Sometimes it was endearing, but sometimes it hurt like hell.

"I know I hurt you and I am so so sorry." he whispered into her hair. He put his hand under her chin and turned her face to his for a small soft kiss. "From what Amy said, you stayed with your family for a little while. You made Amy very happy, and she was very cross with me. Will you tell me about it? I really want to hear what happened. Tell me every detail, even the hard parts." 

"At first I was very confused when you told me to challenge my conviction. I didn't understand how I could do that. So I started investigating," River started to tell the story. She ignored his request to hear the hard parts and she glossed over how upset and worried she had been when he hadn't shown up on the day of her pardon. She told him that she needed a place to stay while she figured out what she was going to do next, so she had gone to Amy and Rory.

She told him about the day to day life she had had with the Ponds and the Williams and how she and Amy had grown close and how she had collected Rory's stories and had worked on her books. She told him about movies with Brian, lunch in the park with Rory, and everything else she could remember. 

When her stomach growled, the Doctor kissed her nose and then took her back to the kitchen and fed her. They ate while she told him the stories of her weekend travels, including the adventures she had with Jack. The Doctor frowned at those stories. She was entirely too happy and excited to be cavorting around the universe with Jack Harkness. He knew that she met up with Jack occasionally, and he should have expected that she would have loved every minute of it, but he didn't really want to hear about it and it made him grumpy. Of course, that made River embelish even more just to get his goat.

The Doctor started cleaning up the mess he had made in the kitchen while she continued to tell him stories of her time with the Ponds. Then River said quietly, "You know, I talked to you every night. That picture in our room, I told you everything. It helped. Even though I knew you couldn't hear me, I felt like we were still connected somehow."

He went over and put his arms around her. "We _are_ connected. You and me, throughout all time and space. Maybe my ears couldn't hear you, but my hearts could. River, I am so so sorry that I let you down by not being there. But it sounds like you got something very good instead, something better than anything I could ever give you."

"I did." River looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "I became part of my family, a real part of my family. I never thought I would get to have that. I love you, and I missed you terribly, but these months have meant more to me than I can ever say."

"I missed you too." He said, cupping her face and kissing her. "You have had a long day, teaching all day and then dealing with me all evening. Why don't you go take a bath while I finish cleaning up in here."

"You are volunteering to clean?" River said, finding a bit of flirtation for him. "My you do feel guilty don't you?"

"Shut up. Go take your bath before I change my mind."


	9. Chapter 9

River soaked in the tub for a long time, letting everything go. She had held on to her anger at him as fiercely as she had held on to her faith in him and it was time to let the anger go. It had lessened over the evening with every word, every kiss, and now she let it float away in the warm water. He had come for her. It had been longer than she expected, but he had come and he had been sorry and ashamed. She had felt his pain when they kissed and that worried her. It was not from hurting her, it was something else. She wasn't quite sure, but she thought that there was something more to his delay than a Sederak. 

When River emerged from her bath, wrapped in a short silky black robe, she realized that the Doctor must have found her stash of candles, because candle she had was lit and placed somewhere in her bedroom. The Doctor sat on the chair in the corner of her room. His tie and braces were off, the top button of his shirt was undone, and his sleeves were rolled up. He stood and went over to her and guided her to her bed. River sat down on the edge of the bed and the Doctor knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. 

The Doctor looked up into River's eyes and said very seriously, "I worship you, River Song. I worship and love you. And now, here on my knees I beg your forgiveness."

River looked down at him and took his face into her hands. "Of course you are forgiven. Yes, you did scare me a bit there, but I have everything I could ever want. I have my family and they have me. I have a great job. And I have you - all of time and space and a husband who loves me. What more could I ever ask for?"

"You are amazing, absolutely amazing," the Doctor said smiling at her. 

"And you are mine, all mine." River said and she slid back into her bed, pulling him with her. The Doctor kissed her, winding both hands into her hair. Their mouths were open and demanding, tongues dancing and twirling as they tried to sate their hunger for each other. River's hands undid the buttons on his shirt and pulled it from his trousers. She let the shirt hang open as she ran her hands across his chest and around his back, feeling his heated skin. The Doctor pushed her back into pillows and pressed his body against her, his mouth plundering hers, his body hard against her softness.

He leaned back and ran his long fingers down across her check, down her neck, and then across the exposed flesh of her decolletage. He lowered his lips, kissing that soft area between the two halves of her robe. His lips moved up, trailing the tip of his tongue all the way back up to her neck, kissing and breathing her in. 

The Doctor wanted to linger on each soft inch of skin he found. He was in no hurry. He would show her how much he worshiped her. He nibbled on her ear, tracing the soft shell with his tongue. Her hands were under his shirt and her nails ran lightly over the skin of his back, down across his ribs and back again. He leaned back on one elbow and untied her robe. He slid his hand under the silky fabric and let it softly slide off of one breast, and then the other. His fingers traced a Gallifreyan circle across her chest, _River_ and another across her stomach _Wife_ , one on her leg _Goddess_ , and one on her arm _Lover_.

He touched and kissed every inch of her he could get to and when his long fingers finally wound their way down between her legs, he found her heated and wet. He tasted her and caressed her, his fingers moving in and out of her until she cried out his name, her body spasming beneath him. It was then that he finally shed himself of his own clothes and gathered her close. He had one hand behind her head and their eyes and energies met as he entered her. It was all warmth and electricity and he was almost overcome. They made love slowly, River keeping her legs wrapped around him, not letting him move very far away from her. The energy swept over them and the Doctor wondered if there would ever be anything in the universe better than this. When he finally cried out her name in release, he knew there wouldn't.

\-------

The Doctor was laying in River's bed, watching her sleep. There was a bit of light coming in the windows and he could see her face. "I love you," he whispered to her, "and I'm sorry I lied to you." He hadn't outright lied to her really, it was more a lie of omission. The last time he had seen River had not been after he dropped her back at Stormcage after Christmas. That had been a lot longer than a year ago for him. And it wasn't Amy that had told him that River got a pardon and was teaching now. It was River herself that had told him as she was being held by a Weeping Angel in Manhattan. A River from the future.

He remembered that moment, when he saw her being held by the Angel. He had been terrified, but kept his cool by joking and flirting with her. He hadn't kept his cool for long, had he? He had gotten so angry and then made her break her own wrist. He reached out and gently ran his fingers over her wrist. Pain gripped his chest as he remembered shamefully how angry he gotten at her, and then he left her there alone to break her own wrist. She hadn't even cried out until he had grabbed it. How awful that must have been for her. They had had almost the same argument that night as tonight. She always felt she had to hide the damage from him, and he understood why. He hated that about himself, that he hurt her so much and so often and who he was made her try to hide it. 

He realized that River would have known that the Doctor she saw in New York was from a different time than the one she had seen last, the one here with her now. She would figure out that tonight she was with a Doctor who had been through New York, and she would understand why he had delayed in picking her up. He hadn't purposefully done things knowing that the Ponds would have their ordinary time together, but he was happy that the universe had given them that gift.

After New York, he and River had traveled for a while, but River had wanted to go see Brian. She had wanted her family and he had understood. He wanted his Ponds too. So after he left her with Brian he went back and picked up Amy and Rory from the past, again and again. They had taken trips and had adventures. He had gone back for them as often as he could, until he got River's message that she had been pardoned. That's why he had delayed going back for her. If he had gone to get her, he knew it wouldn't be long until she was teaching. And if she was teaching, then he had run out of time with Amy. So he ran, he chased the Sederak and other things until the need to see all of his Ponds was too great to fight anymore.

But time had run out anyway. It was just a few short weeks until Christmas now. He knew it would be the last time he would ever see Amy and Rory. It had been right after Christmas that he had picked them up for the trip that had ended in New York. One last Christmas together, and then he and River would lose them forever. And if River was Professor Song now, then she was getting close to the Library. He calculated that he only had a couple of more years with her before she would be gone too. He looked at her, sleeping peacefully and he started to cry. 

He got up and put on her warm blue robe that was hanging on the door. He went out and closed the door, then went into her office and closed the door behind him. The Doctor curled up in River's chair and broke down. Time had slipped through his fingers. The one thing he was the master of had betrayed him. But that was the way, wasn't it? Time went on and the Doctor went on. Amy, Rory, and River would join all the others that lived in his memory and in his hearts. 

But he had his wife for a little bit longer. After Christmas he would leave her and she would be taken to Manhattan. But he planned to come back right after she had gotten home from Brian's. He would have these years with her until he was forced to take her to Darillium. After that, he didn't know how he could possibly go on.

After a while the Doctor got cold so he got up and went back to River's bed. She felt him get back in and she put her arms around him, pressing her skin against his. "I wondered where you had gone," she murmured against his chest. 

"I'm not going anywhere, River, I promise."


	10. Epilogue

The Doctor and River's Christmas with the Ponds and Brian was wonderful. It was the best Christmas they had ever had. River noticed a few times that the Doctor seemed a bit more emotional than usual, but she was just so happy that they were all together as a family and thought that maybe he was too.

River had planned an expedition between Christmas and the first day of school, but got a bit waylaid by a horrible man in New York who wanted her expertise on the Weeping Angels. She had stayed with Brian for a while after, but came back the night before classes started. When she found her husband waiting for her in her little house, she threw her arms around him and they cried together.

The staff at the university were pleased to finally meet Professor Song's mysterious husband after the winter break. She introduced him as Doctor Smith, an expert in Anthropology and Cultural Studies. Almost every Friday he would show up at the university and talk to the other professors as he waited for Professor Song to finish teaching for the day. He could spend hours debating about the smallest species on the smallest planet and had a terrific amount of knowledge about the universe. The other professors genuinely liked him and thought it was sweet how absolutely besotted he was with his wife. 

When the University staff was informed of Professor Song's death on the Library planet, they were shocked and saddened. Several of the staff members tried to locate Doctor Smith, but were unsuccessful. It was like he never had existed. After a few weeks, a few of them went to Professor Song's little house to box everything up. To their surprise, they found the house in order with most of her things already boxed up. There was a note asking for all of her books to be given to the University library and for everything else to be sold. The money was to be combined with the enormous check that was attached in order to fund the River Song Scholarship Fund. Along with the check was one photo of Professor Song to be used in the scholarship literature. It was the photo of River from one of her digs. River with dirt on her cheek, her hair wild around her face, and a smile that seemed to hold a secret.


End file.
